Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Happy Holidays!!!

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Our Recent Photo

Here's a photo taken last night when we had dinner at Garlic di Pastain Pleasanton. This was our first time in this italian restaurant, food was good..at least the ones we ordered - Chicken Gorgonzola for me & Chicken Pesto for Randy. However, I must say they need to have more servers especially at dinner time.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

You're Invited!

Here's an article of John & Benz Rana's (of www.weddingsatwork.com) wrote that originally appeared on 12.03.05 on About Weddings. Hope we will all learn from it...hehehehe.

Questions & AnswersQ. I got an invite but have no plans of attending; should I still send a gift?A.First thing’s first. If you won’t be able to attend for whatever reason, please RSVP. A big chunk of the wedding budget goes to the reception and it will be utterly inconsiderate to just give up a reserved seat without letting the couple know. Give them the chance to assign that seat to another guest in their “waitlist.” Having that out of the way, let’s get to your question: YES, it is customary to still send a gift.

Q. The envelope bears only my name. May I ask if I can bring a date?A. Don’t bring a date unless your invitation specifically says “and Guest.” Bringing unexpected guests is very impolite. Neither should you ask the couple’s permission if you may bring one or not. Don’t put your friends on the spot. We Filipinos don’t really like turning down people. So how would you know if their “Yes” means yes or not? Spare them that trouble.

Q. The invite says “Mr. & Mrs.” Could we bring our kids?A. Never bring the kids unless “& Family” is indicated. Soon-to-weds don’t usually invite children for a good reason. Kids get bored or cranky during hour-long masses. Their tantrums might disrupt the solemnity of the ceremony. Weddings are usually formal events typically not appropriate for the little ones. To be blunt about it, inviting a child at the reception means added two mouths to feed – the kid’s and the yaya’s.

Follow-up Q. But my son/daughter is the bearer/flower girl. I’m sure it’s understood that my other child is invited.A. Which part of the answer above didn’t you understand? Seriously, if the couple wanted to invite your other kid, they would have specified that on the envelope.

2nd follow-up Q. But I’m breastfeeding, I’m sure my friends will understand, won’t they?A. Granting that it’s an infant and he or she won’t eat at the reception – let’s even assume that your baby won’t wail at the church – the answer is still NO! Not even if you’ve perfected the art of being a cow in a long gown. Four words: Breast Pump and Babysitter!

Q. I don’t have a clue what gift to give them. Any ideas?A. The average Pinoy soon-to-wed would always prefer monetary gifts more than any other gift. It is the unspoken fact. We’re telling you now to make it easier for them to let you know what they REALLY want; unless they indicated that already in their invites which, by the way, is a very tacky thing to do.If you’re not comfortable giving cash, you may ask the couple where they are registered (Gift / Bridal Registry) and choose from what’s listed under their names in the store. You can also ask them where they’re residing after the wedding and take the cue from there. If you know that they’ll be migrating abroad or living with their parents for the time being, a ref or another oven toaster may not be the most practical and logical gift.

Q. I’m convinced. So how much cash should I give them? I don't want to give too little or too much.A. That’s a hard thing to answer. It’s really a case-to-case thing. Try to put yourself in the couple’s shoes. How much should a guest of your stature give you without being branded a cheapskate? Also consider your relationship with the couple. If you're good friends of the couple's parents, you'll probably shell-out more than if you were simply the bride’s Girl Friday.

Q. Could I skip the ceremony and head straight to the reception?A. You can… BUT you shouldn’t! You are invited to THE wedding -- that’s the part where they exchange their “I dos.” The reception is where the Receiving Line is. You can’t be ‘received’ if you are already seated in the hall, right? “Patay-gutom” is too harsh a word and we assure you that it’s by no means what anyone would think if indeed you decide to go straight to the reception. But admit that it struck a nerve just mentioning the word in that context, isn’t it?

Q. Speaking of the Receiving Line, what should be the proper greeting?A. Here’s the rule: Say “Congratulations” to the groom and “Best Wishes” to the bride. The reason behind is that "congrats" implies that someone has caught something or won a prize, and it is rather improper to imply that the bride “caught” the man who married her. If this rule gets mixed-up in your head come wedding day, just say the two phrases together and look at both of them. That usually works!Likewise, saying “Good Luck!” no matter how pure your wishes are will also sound very inappropriate for obvious reasons.

Q. Nice try, but what if the couple makes a Grand Entrance and left the Receiving Line to their parents? What then should I tell them? Note that I don’t even know which sets of parents are whose.A. Didn’t we tell you already not to skip the ceremony? The bride and groom usually walk alongside their respective parents at the very start!Anyway, make your pleasantries short and sweet. Shake their hands and say "Hello! I'm (your name) and I went to school with (name of bride/groom) in (school’s name)/an officemate of (name of bride/groom) at (name of company)." They usually respond with "Nice meeting you." Just smile, nod politely, and move on to the next person. If one replies “Hi! I’ve heard so much about you!”, simply smile and nod just the same. No lengthy conversation; just make small talk at most. If you can’t find the words to say, just smile again, nod politely, and move.

Q. During the banquet, is there anything I need to know?A. Nowadays, the Reception Program usually have the guests on each table stand up and have their picture taken with the couple before being led to the buffet. This is done to resolve two issues of past weddings: (a) for the couple’s convenience and skip the tiring Table-Hopping ritual just to have their picture taken with all their guests; and (b) for the guests’ convenience so they won’t have to wait very long for their turn in the buffet line.Keep in mind that Buffet is NOT synonymous with “Eat-All-You-Can.” Do not pile your plate full. Be courteous of those who have yet to be served. Don’t worry. You can easily go for seconds.

Q. I’m used to a Buffet setting, but what if it’s a formal Sit-Down Dinner? Which fork do I start with again?A. You’re on your own, pal. Watch “Pretty Woman” again.Read the full article here.

Friday, December 09, 2005

Maecy

It was my youngest sister's birthday yesterday Dec. 8th. (All 3 of us were born on the 8th...I was born on April 8th and Micah, March 8th) Good Lord, she's 18 already!!! Which makes me insanely old.

Anyway, Happy birthday. Maecy! I hope you had fun yesterday. You can now buy cigs, watch porn, vote, and buy a lotto ticket!!! yay!!! Seriously, here's wishing you the best and may all your hopes and dreams come true. I love you baby!

W@W Christmas Auction

Last month, just before Thanksgiving, W@W had a Christmas Auction to raise funds for their Chritmas Party in Manila and also to help charities like God's work in Progress. Please click hereto read about it.Guess what I won?

Monday, November 21, 2005

DIY Save the Date Magnets

Here's my try on DIY! I used my phone to take these pictures because I couldn't find the usb to upload the ones I took from my digicam.

I'm almost done with our Save the Date Magnets. I still have to make around 25 magnets, insert them in note cards, print address labels and mail them. This was a 2-month project which is not so "me", but things got really busy the last few months for Randy & I.

The caricature idea came from aw@wie, Haidee. I showed it to Randy and he said he likes the idea, only he wanted it in black & white. So I surfed the net to find the one who can make a nice caricature of us.

Last September, thought of Paulo, my youngest sister's (Maecy) boyfriend. He said he'll try. I understood, he's in college now and I know he's very busy. I wanted a filipino to draw us because i doubt if a non-filipino will understand a barong tagalog, unless a picture is shown. I don't wanna go through the whole ordeal of explaining that I Randy should be drawn in a formal filipino wear and not a tuxedo or a suit.

Randy & I got very busy and almost forgot about the caricature.

By mid-October, Paulo sent me a pic he drew. I was laughing because it really looked like us! Ang galing. All I did was enhanced the drawing by inking the hair, and adding details to the barong & the gown.

By early November, I was already a "suki" at Kinko's figuring how to print a nice image to a nice paper so I can put it on an adhesive magnet. Found a glossy paper (sort of like a photo paper). Then kinko's offered me to do the magnets, it was tempting but I said no. I know I can do it but I just need to find the right materials. See, the magnets I like are the thicker, sturdier adhesive ones...and I only found thin ones at Michael's (1' x 2'). Then at Officemax, I saw the magnets I like...only in a business card (2 x 3 1/2) size. My Save the Dates measurement, by the way, is 2.5 x 3.25. Arghhh!

I inquired at Kinko's about their lamilabels. They are a laminate material with a sticker at the back. I figured, If I use this lamilabel, my image (on a glossy not so thick paper) will be thicker then I can stick it on the thin magnets I saw at Michael's! So I asked how much per piece (8.5 x 11). 2 freaking dollars!!! Out of my budget. (note: by this time, I can hear Randy's voice, we have to stick to our budget, Drei!). So shempre, parang nakokonsensya naman ako.

Finally, I just decided to go with the ones at Officemax. My resourcefulness, creativity (ha!) and best of all...patience will just be tested once again, I thought. I'm not really Martha-Stewart-crafty-kind-of-person but I can, when needed. Besides, I can spend time doing stuff like this since I'm at home most of the time anyway.

I also bought these blank notecards at Target. Bright Pink cards with orange envelopes AND orange cards with bright pink envelopes.

Last night, after we came home from church I started doing them. I was soooo focused that I didn't notice the time. Well, at least I finished 77 pcs (for July 7...hehehehe). I ran out of magnets, that's why. Otherwise, I know I wouldh've finished all 100+ of them magnets! Ha!

This will be the end result of my labor of love...and stress, by the way! (That Kinko's Union City manager drove me nuts! Good thing other staff were very very helpful.)

I will use this stamp...it's pink & orange too!

Note: Thanks to Paulo Santiago for the caricature. Also to Haidee (fellow w@wie) for a cute idea!

Saturday, November 19, 2005

From Church to Reception

The map from All Saints Church (Hayward, CA) to San Ramon Marriott Hotel (San Ramon, CA).

It says estimated travel time is 19 minutes. But on a Friday late afternoon, with the rush hour, I doubt it will only take 19 minutes.

We have decided to make our wedding at 4PM. Fr. Carl said it's about an hour & 15 minutes with the pictorials in the church. Our guests can leave to go and have some cocktails at 6PM. That's 45 minutes for them to travel. While Randy & I, with our Bridal Party can take pictures. Dinner will start at 7PM.Note: Map/Picture was taken from the San Ramon Marriot Official Website's Driving Directions.